Just Friends
by TheWonderfulMe
Summary: This is a one-shot of what I think would have happened if Jackie didn't attend the concert in the episode Just Friends.
1. Just Friends: Star

**Just Friends**

It was right before bedtime when Star went into the bathroom, finishing the day with their choreographed best friend toothbrush dance. They were perfectly in sync with each other, as always, even spitting into the sink together. Star loved her moments like these with Marco, moments that showed a true and pure friendship.

As they wrapped up their hygienic lip-synced version of their second favorite song "Just Friends" Marco looked up at star.

"Oh Man, the only thing cooler than these Love Sentence singing toothbrushes is the fact you got us tickets to see them tomorrow!" Marco exclaimed.

"Duh, that's what friends are for! Plus, Love Sentence is our thing."

Marco wiped toothpaste suds off from around his mouth. "Aw, you would know. You're my best friend."

"Goodnight Marco!" Star smiled as the boy left the bathroom. "Sleep tight!"

As she went to bed that night she found she couldn't sleep, she was just too excited. She had finally scored tickets to a Love Sentence concert! Two of them for for her and her best bestie Marco.

Originally she had planned on surprising Marco by inviting Jackie, but when she called in to the radio show to claim her tickets she had won early that day, they apologized and explained that they gave the third ticket to the second caller.

If Star was being honest, she wasn't that bummed that Jackie wasn't going. It was finally going to be just her and Marco. It hadn't been that way in quite a while because even though they still traveled dimensions and fought monsters together, Marco's time-table was becoming more and more full with dates with Jackie. Star couldn't express her concern, though, without sounding to needy and clingy. Plus she wanted, more than anything in the world, for Marco to be happy, and now he was.

Finally, bored with just sitting in bed, she decided to call Marco. She hung her head off the side of her bed, swinging her feet in the air, as she waited for Marco to answer.

"Hello?" A voice came through the phone groggily. Star could hear the sleep in her best friend's voice.

"Marco! Are you awake?" She questioned, but she could tell from his voice that this call woke him up.

"Star, why are you calling? It's the middle of the night!" Marco exclaimed "Plus, we need a good night's rest to be one hundred percent focused on the concert tomorrow, Star?"

"Yes, Marco?" The blonde poked her friend on the back, making him gasp and pull the covers up to his neck.

"Star! You scared me nearly half to death." Marco's grip loosened on the covers. " Why are you in my room anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would hang out with my bestie." Star bubbled.

Star couldn't help but take notice how cute Marco looked in his pajamas. She got and overwhelming urge to go under the covers and just snuggle up next to her best friend, that would probably put her to sleep right away. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the thought.

"Star it's late, you need to go to sleep. You don't want to accidentally fall asleep tomorrow and miss the concert do you?" Marco inquired.

"Yeah, no. I understand. It probably is best if I get out of your hair for both of our sake. I'm just so excited! Ya know?" Star looked over at Marco, suppressing the urge once again. Scared she might actually give in next time the thought came to mind, she practically cart-wheeled off the bed. "This going to be awesome! Now get them beauty sleeps." With that Star hastily left the room, letting Marco sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

That morning Star woke up putting on her blue dress with red straps and her fur boots. She saw Marco sitting at the table eating the pairs favorite cereal, Captain Blanche's Sugar Seeds. She slowly sneaked up behind Marco.

"Marco! Get dressed!" Marco was so startled he nearly knocked his cereal into his lap.

"Wow, Star! I'm eating here." Marco said as he wiped up stray droplets of milk. "Besides, I am dressed. Red hoodie, jeans. That's pretty much dressed for me." He drawled.

Star turned around to face Marco, "Uh no you're not, because I made concert tees!" Star was beaming, her smiled reached from cheek to cheek. Star pulled out her wand, magically summoning the shirts in a burst of pink light.

The look of confusion on Marco's face was instantly replaced by a look of amazement.

"Oh Man! Love Sentence Concert tees!" Marco exclaimed as Star threw a shirt at his face.

"Hand crafted." Star proclaim as Marco raised the shirt to examine.

"Oh... Perfect." Marco deadpanned, looking at the shirts with disinterest.

Star chose not to respond to his comment, but that's not to say it didn't hurt. She spent a long time making the twin shirts, meticulously sketching cartoon versions of Marco and herself and a huge pile of discarded shirts deemed not good enough. These were her best two and it seemed Marco didn't like…. Her train of thought stopped as she looked over to Marco, seeing him struggling to put the shirt. _At least he is wearing it_ , Star thought.

Star watched as Marco finally fit the shirt over his head. So yeah the shirts were a bit ugly and a little small, but at least Marco was wearing something Star made with her own two hands. That was all Star wanted.

"Okay," Star said enthusiastically. "Let's go catch the bus."

"Can't breathe." Marco wheezed out. Okay so maybe it was a no go on the matching concert tees.

"It's okay, Marco. You don't have to wear it." Star sympathized. She was only bummed for a little, until Marco took off the shirt and enveloped her in a hug.

"Thanks Star, for everything." He whispered. His embrace was warm and inviting, as always.

Star could feel a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Of course, what are friends for?"

The pair of friends headed out the door to catch the bus. Sure it wasn't the most stylish mode of transportation but the two had to work with what they had.

The bus ride consisted of a heated game of Love Sentence trivia, in which the pair argued over whether the band broke up before or after lunch. There was also a little catching up to do since Marco has been quite busy with Jackie.

"So…. You and Jackie. Are you two official?" Star vacillated.

"Not yet. I mean we have gone on a couple dates, but no we're not together. Hopefully in the future, though." Marco had a wistful look on his face.

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe." Star sighed. Marco was just so into Jackie, she didn't stand a chance. Of course not, Jackie was cool, beautiful, and Marco's crush since forever. Why would Marco ever think of Star in that way.

"Hey, what's wrong." Marco soothed.

 _Crap!_ Star thought. _Think of something, anything!_

"It's just, I know the bus isn't the coolest ride and I know that I could have magiced something a little better. I just thought, maybe, since you have been wanting me to do stuff the Earth way, I would try this." Star lied emphasizing her point with a pouty face.

"Oh, Star. It's okay, this…" Marco waved his hand around the bus. "This is perfect. Besides, this beats having to ride skateboards to a concert."

Star laughed. "Skateboards, why on Earth would we ride skateboards? You would probably end up hitting a family of ducks or something!"

"Yeah, and we would be all sweaty." Marco concurred. "Now that would be awful."

The two besties finally arrived at the concert, finding their seats just in time. On the overhead speakers and horn started to blare. Star was vaguely aware of someone telling the crowd to remain calm. All she could think about was how it was finally going to be just her and Marco. Suddenly the wall on stage broke, and the band emerged from the hole.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Such pageantry, I love it! I love it!" Marco screamed while waving his hands in the air. Star couldn't help but smile.

"Straight out of the Echo Creek penitentiary, I'm Justin Towers and this one goes out to everyone who's just friends." The concert has started. Star couldn't help but feel as though this song was written especially for her. Marco and her both gasped, turning to each other.

"Our second favorite song!" Both whispered in sync. During the intro Marco has started to dance, a little in his seat. Y _ou can do this. You have been working up the courage all day, now is the time!_ Star told herself. She took a deep breath then reached over and grabbed Marco's hand.

Marco's eyes widened. He looked over at her before smiling. The two bobbed their head in time with the music, both wearing matching smiles.

"It was no secret." Marco lip-synced.

Star followed, both alternating between lines. "The way that we feel."

"A love that's so pure."

"A love that's so real."

The song continued, the two besties mouthing words perfectly.

Leaning towards each other, Star and Marco lip-synced the next part together.

"And now we'll be just friends. We will be just friends. And now we'll just friends. Be juuuust friends."

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Star mouthed.

Marco continued. "You didn't have a clue."

"So you went out and got busy,"

"And found somebody new, new new."

As the song continued, Star looked around and saw everyone in the stands holding hands with their partner, and leaning in. Star then looked down to her own hands, which was holding Marco's. Slowly she glanced up to see Marco looking at their hands as well. A slight blush spread across her cheeks. Finally Marco met her gaze.

 _It's now or never Star._ She told herself. She grabbed Marco's other hand, pulling him in close. She knew he didn't reciprocate her feelings, but she couldn't resist. Slowly she closed her eyes, and finally her lips met his. The kiss was warm and comforting. And even though it was one-sided, it felt like home. The pair pulled away, Star instantly dropping his hands, fully realizing what she had done.

"Marco, I'm… I'm so sorry." Tears welled in her eyes. She quickly turned away from Marco who was just staring at her slack-jawed. Star started to run off, when she felt a hand grab hers, spinning her around. She was suddenly face to face with Marco, merely inches between them.

Star could see a blush spread across Marco's cheeks. Without a word, Marco raised his hand wiping off the tears from her cheek. Using that same hand, Marco closed the distance between the two, pulling her head closer to his. It was magic, the way his lips connected with mine.

While the last kiss was warm and undoubtedly one-sided, this kiss felt like a million fireworks going off all at once. Her heart fluttered inside her chest. At first, it was a delicate butterfly of a kiss. Then an arm encircled her. He drew her to him, making it feel as though they were the only two people at the crowded concert. This close to Marco, Star could smell a faint scent of strawberry, Marco had used her shampoo again. She didn't know why that is what she was thinking about, but she couldn't get the smell out of her head.

She could feel Marco's hand on the back of her head, cradling her so gently, like he was afraid she might break. This kiss was everything she was waiting for, even if she didn't know that before. He was the half that made her whole.

The last thing she heard before the two pulled apart was a line from their favorite band's song. _We spiraled high on a gust of love._

 **Author's Note:** Let me know if you want more of this story, like what will happen to Marco and Star after they have kissed, or if it is best as a one-shot.


	2. Just Friends: Marco

Marco's Pov

It was almost time for bed when Marco and Star entered the bathroom. They wrapped up their night with a lip-synced version of "Just Friends" into their toothbrushes. They were always so in tune with each other, perfectly synced dances or saying the same things at the same time, and that's how Marco knew he found his true best friend.

They finished the show by spitting out their toothpaste unceremoniously into the sink.

Marco shut off his toothbrush, and looked up at Star. "Oh man, the only thing cooler than these Love Sentence singing toothbrushes is the fact you got us tickets to see them tomorrow!"

"Duh, that's what friends are for. Plus, Love Sentence is like our thing."

Marco was so happy he had a best friend who knew him so well. Star was his best bestie, and dare he say, mess up twin. They were connected at the hip, and he couldn't have chosen anyone he would rather spend his time with.

Wiping off toothpaste suds from around his mouth, Marco smiled up at Star. "Aw, you would know. You're my best friend."

"Goodnight Marco!" Star smiled, as Marco gave Star a two-finger salute before closing the door. Marco heard Star say something to herself behind the close door as he walked to his bedroom.

Marco entered his bedroom, heading straight for the bed. He decided he needed a good night of sleep to be ready for the concert tomorrow. Sleep didn't come easy, to say the least. He was just so excited. To clear his head he just let his thoughts wonder, finally drifting off to sleep thinking of Star's warm hugs.

Marco was suddenly woken up by a buzzing, he blindly felt beside his bed for his phone.

"Hello?" Marco could hear the tiredness of his voice, and the phone would probably only amplify that. Ugh, he hated his phone voice.

"Marco! Are you awake." Star voice came in through the phone, bubbly and enthusiastic as ever. _Well I am now,_ Marco thought to himself.

"Star, why are you calling? It's the middle of the night!" Marco exclaimed "Plus, we need a good night's rest to be one hundred percent focused on the concert tomorrow, Star? Hello?"

"Yes, Marco?" Marco felt a poke on his back, he was so surprised he gasped, audibly. Not his proudest moment.

"Star! You scared me nearly half to death." Marco hadn't even realized he had pulled the covers up, until he felt his grip on them loosen. "Why are you in my room anyway?" Marco asked with hesitation. Marco wasn't upset that Star was here, just worried. W _as the house under attack? On Fire? Flooded?_

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would hang out with my bestie." Star bubbled. Okay so no threat. Marco assured himself. Marco couldn't help but think that in the light of the moon coming in through the window, Star looked like an angel. Sitting right at the foot of his, he decided, was the cutest girl in any dimension. _Except for Jackie_ Lynn Thomas! He reminded himself. The more he looked at her, though, he couldn't decide if that was entirely true.

Star was adorable, with cute little hearts on her cheeks, her long blonde hair, and… _This is your best friend, get a grip._ Marco didn't know what he was thinking, he decided that it was his lack of sleep talking.

Marco looked up to his best friend and saw her shake her head a bit. Marco decided it was because she was tired and needed sleep.

"Star it's late, you need to go to sleep. You don't want to accidentally fall asleep tomorrow and miss the concert do you?" Marco asked.

"Yeah, no. I understand. It probably is best if I get out of your hair for both of our sake. I'm just so excited! Ya know?" Star met Marco's gaze. Marco saw Star's eyes widen slightly, then she basically cart-wheeled off the his bed. Star was halfway out the door when she exclaimed, "This is going to be awesome! Now get them beauty sleeps." With that bubbly blonde left his room. And once again Marco was coaxed into sleep with thoughts of Star.

In the morning, Marco headed to his closet, choosing from his wide selection of identical outfits. Then he went downstairs to pour himself a bowl of Captain Blanche's Sugar Seeds, his and Star's favorite cereal.

"Marco! Get dressed!" Star yelled into his ear. Marco was so startled he nearly knocked his cereal into his lap. _She needs to stop doing that._ Marco chimed to himself.

"Woah, Star! I'm eating here." Marco cautioned. "Besides, I am dressed. Red hoodie, jeans. That's pretty much dressed for me." He drawled.

Using a nearby paper towel, Marco started to wipe up any spilled milk. Looking over at Star he noticed she decided to wear her blue dress with the straps today, he was amazed how she could look so good in something so simple and mundane.

Star turned around to face Marco, "Uh no you're not, because I made concert tees!" Star was beaming, her smiled reached from cheek to cheek. Star pulled out her wand, magically summoning the shirts in a burst of pink light.

Marco's face was soon plastered with a look of amazement. Marco was never going to get over how cool Star was, magic or not.

"Oh Man! Love Sentence Concert tees!" Marco exclaimed as Star threw a shirt at his face.

"Hand crafted." Star proclaimed as Marco raised the shirt to examine it. The shirts were quite scary, if Marco was being honest with himself, with hand drawn characters Star and Marco and broken hearts scattered across the shirt.

"Oh... Perfect." Marco deadpanned. After he said that he wish he could take it back. Star looked so crushed and he didn't know what to do. He decided he would show her he appreciated the gesture by putting it on, but he couldn't even fit it over his head.

Finally after A LOT of struggling, he got the shirt on. Oh boy, was it tight.

"Okay," Star said enthusiastically. "Let's go catch the bus." Marco didn't know if he

could move like this, in fact he could barely breath.

"Can't breathe." Marco wheezed out.

"It's okay, Marco. You don't have to wear it." Star sympathized. Marco felt so bad. Star must have spent a long time making these, and first he insults them and now he can't even wear one. Well if he knew Star, he knew there was always one way to cheer her up, hugs.

"Thanks Star, for everything." He whispered. He truly meant, too. Star was always doing things for him, and he never knew how to repay her. For now, this was the best he could do.

"Of course, what are friends for?" Star whispered back. Even though they have friendship hugs all the time. This close to Star was making him blush. He back away quickly hoping she wouldn't notice.

The pair of friends headed out the door to catch the bus. Sure it wasn't the most stylish mode of transportation but the two had to work with what they had.

Two friends filled their time with Love Sentence trivia and talk about basically everything. Life, goals, relationships, and all that jazz. That brought Star to ask a question Marco wasn't expecting.

"So…. You and Jackie. Are you two official?" Star vacillated. Honestly Marco didn't know what him and Jackie were, sure she had kissed him, but does that make him her boyfriend.

"Not yet. I mean we have gone on a couple dates, but no we're not together. Hopefully in the future, though." But Marco wasn't sure he meant it, he couldn't imagine a life with anyone but Star… Just that thought alone caused him to blush furiously, the color deepening when he realized how close the two were on the bus.

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe." Star sighed. Star sounded so put out, Marco couldn't fathom why. They were on their way to a Love Sentence concert, so why did she sound miserable?

"Hey, what's wrong." Marco soothed, scooting a little closer to her, and hoping she didn't notice. This close to Star, Marco could definitely say she had the prettiest eyes he had ever seen. They looked as though someone had bottled the sky just for her. _Marco! Best friend, remember!_ His internal alarm chided.

"It's just, I know the bus isn't the coolest ride and I know that I could have magiced something a little better. I just thought, maybe, since you have been wanting me to do stuff the Earth way, I would try this." Star lamented with a slight pout on her face.

"Oh, Star. It's okay, this…" Marco waved his hand around the bus. "This is perfect. Besides, this beats having to ride skateboards to a concert."

Star laughed. "Skateboards, why on Earth would we ride skateboards? You would probably end up hitting a family of ducks or something!" Marco was happy he was able to cheer Star up.

"Yeah, and we would be all sweaty." Marco concurred. "Now that would be awful." The thought of having to ride skateboards made Marco shudder, it would have been a nightmare that's for sure.

The two friends finally arrived at the concert, finding their seats just in time. On the overhead speakers, a horn started to blare.

"Remain calm and shelter in place. This is not a drill." A voice told the crowd. Marco loved the prison theme the band decided to do. Suddenly the wall on stage broke, and the band emerged from the hole.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Such pageantry, I love it! I love it!" Marco screamed while waving his hands in the air.

"Straight out of the Echo Creek penitentiary, I'm Justin Towers and this one goes out to everyone who's just friends." Justin threw a sledge hammer into the air, fireworks going off in the shape of hearts, Marco loved it.

Once the song started Marco and Star both gasped, while turning toward each other.

"Our second favorite song!" Both whispered in sync. Marco could help but feel a connection to this song, though he wasn't sure why. At some point during the intro Marco had started to dance a little, when he felt a hand grab his. His eyes widened, turning over to Star, who had in fact, grabbed his hand.

He could tell he was blushing, once again. He hoped that the dimness of the concert would conceal his pink flushed cheeks. He smiled at Star and the two started bobbing their heads in time with the beat.

"It was no secret." Marco lip-synced.

Star followed, both alternating between lines. "The way that we feel."

"A love that's so pure."

"A love that's so real."

As the song continued, the two besties mouthing words perfectly.

Leaning towards each other, Star and Marco lip-synced the next part together.

"And now we'll be just friends. We will be just friends. And now we'll just friends. Be juuuust friends."

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Star mouthed.

Marco continued. "You didn't have a clue."

"So you went out and got busy,"

"And found somebody new, new new."

The pair continued to lip-sync the song and dance together, up until the guitar solo. Marco noticed Star's eyes widened as she looked around the concert then back to Marco, or more so their interlocked hands. Marco looked down at their hands before noticing Star turning toward him. Finally Marco met her gaze, noticing a slight blush spread across her cheeks.

Suddenly Star grabbed Marco's free hand with hers, pulling him into her. Before Marco could say anything, their lips met. He was stunned, he didn't know what to do. All he knew was that Star's were warm and sweet. The kiss lasted no more than five seconds before it over, and for Marco it wasn't enough.

Star dropped his hands like the were hot coals, terror flashing across her face.

"Marco, I'm… I'm so sorry." Tears welled in her eyes. She quickly turned away from Marco who was just staring at her slack-jawed. Star quickly turned away and was about to run off when Marco grabbed her hand and spun her back to him. Their faces were only inches apart, Marco could see a blush starting to make it way across Star's cheeks, and Marco could feel his own cheeks heating up.

Marco stared deep into her sky blue eyes, his hand cupped her cheek that was slowly turning red, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. He smiled at her before slowly he leaned into her. Marco's other hand was shaking slightly, his mind was repeating the same sentence over and over, _Don't do this... don't do this_. But the sound his heart was beating so loudly he couldn't concentrate. It felt like it was going to explode.

Finally Marco's lips touched Star's. Sparks flew in every direction, and the world was slowly disappearing around them, along with all of their worries, troubles, and problems. She made Marco feel like none of that mattered. It was a small yet warm kiss. Marco, honestly never knew a kiss so innocent could be so intimate and electrifying. Her lips were moving in perfect sync, his hands feeling her waist.

In moments the soft caress has become more firm, he savored her lips and the quickening of her breath that matched his own. A kiss like this was a beginning, a promise of much more to come. Right before they pulled apart, Marco heard something that described this moment all too well, even though it was simply just a line from a song.

 _We spiraled high on a gust of love._

 **Author's** **Note** **:** Thank you so much for the support. I think I'm going to end this story here, but I will be posting others. :) Bye for now.


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